I get that this is more of an alt history focused community, but alt geography is also lumped in here on occasion so⦠what if Borneo was somehow inbetween Greenland and The Azores? What nation might colonize this land?
So, I'm about to start this chapter in the campaign and there's something that I'm struggling with. I really want one of my players to be infected by the Yellow Death and to be forced to Hybridate. However, it takes 48 hours to get to the 3rd stage of the decease and Caduceus brings a formula that allows players to heal themselves if they are on the first two stages. I could remove that and make it more extreme, I know, but in addition to that, the Haftorang device is supposed to explode 24 hours aprox, after the start of the chapter.
I honestly think there's not enough time to be infected and get to the 3rd stage of the Yellow Death before getting back to New York. Am I missing something? Any advice about it?
It's very unlikely we would actually do this, but what would you expect from building a railway up to at least the furthest tomb colonies?
And before anyone says there is nothing there, I would have said the exact same thing about the hinterlands before the railway.
Your 9-minute Thursday report in 2413 words.
##top-10 athletes receive awards
On Thursday, Pashinyan issued awards and monetary gifts to athletes who were voted best in 2021:
Arthur Aleksanyan (Silver in Tokyo Olympics wrestling)
Malkhas Amoyan (Gold in world wrestling)
Hovhannes Bachkov (Bronze in world boxing)
Arthur Davtyan (Bronze in Olympic athletics)
Varazdat Lalayan (Gold in U23 European weightlifting)
Elina Danielyan (Gold in European chess)
Arsen Harutyunyan (Bronze in world wrestling)
Simon Martirosyan (Bronze in world weightlifting)
Gor Minasyan (Bronze in world weightlifting)
Davit Chaloyan (Silver in world boxing)
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072076.html https://youtu.be/akHWyMo-XkM
##2021 budget revenues surpassed estimates by $300 million
IRS chief: this year's budget revenue was expected to be Φ1.440 trillion. The number exceeded by Φ146 billion.
The rise in revenue was partly because of the new mining export tax that we imposed recently. Here are the numbers with and without the new mining tax:
+14% from 2020 with the new tax, +11% without it.
+8% from 2019 with the new tax, +5% without it.
The year will end with a record amount of tax refunds:
2019: Φ180b
2020: Φ140b
2021: Φ185b
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072031.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072047.html
##Pashinyan: one of the important events of 2021 is that the government is now a shareholder in the Zangezur copper plant
Pashinyan: the recent decision to increase taxes on mining export was justified. These taxes will last until we implement a new [fair] royalty system.
It will be flexible. When the global prices increase, the royalty fees will also increase to protect the public interest. When global prices drop, the system will protect the business's interests.
One of the important indicators of 2021 is that the government is now a shareholder in ZCMC. //
https://factor.am/459733.html
##Finance Minister: capital spending performance was 86% this year
Khachatryan: we should use this as a bar for ourselves for next year because the 2022 budget will allocate significantly more funds for capital spending.
Pashinyan: 86% may not be perfect, but it's higher compared to previous years.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072033.html
##750 km of roads were built in 2021
Infrastructure Minister Sanosyan: this year was difficult because we built severa
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Good afternoon to everyone except Alec Baldwin. This is your 12-minute Thursday report in 3079 words.
##Pashinyan met the newly appointed Yerevan mayor Hrachya Sargsyan to discuss the reforms
Pashinyan: there was an institutional problem in the municipality, and it was resolved institutionally. What do I mean by that?
Yerevan has been implementing My Step bloc's pre-election program since 2018. In turn, that program was based on Yelk's 2017 program. [Pashinyan used to be a member of Yelk alliance and ran for Yerevan mayor against Taron Margaryan in 2017.]
The political responsibility lies with the My Step bloc and the Council majority. It is necessary to implement the program fully. Being the 1st deputy mayor, Mr. Sargsyan has been a full participant in the process to implement that program.
I attach importance to the process that took place, in terms of the establishment of state institutions. You are aware that settlements with a population of over 4,000 hold new elections, and it's the council that appoints a mayor. It is impossible to work without the council's majority support.
It is very important that today we have a harmonious situation between the mayor of Yerevan and the Council. The mayor must also cooperate with the opposition members of the Council. Here, too, the unifying role is very important.
So far we have provided all the support to the Yerevan municipality, and that support will continue. We will discuss the reform program's speed and direction. I wish you all best of luck. //
Mayor Hrachyan Sargsyan: I realize how big the responsibility is. I'm aware of the institutions we have today and what needs to be reformed to withstand shocks and carry out the functionality.
With the help of the government, we can implement programs that for some reason have been ignored for years. We have the potential. We just need effective management. //
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071505.html
##the government approves another β¬20M loan to improve Yerevans bus network
It likely needs to be ratified by the Parliament. EBRD said it was extending a β¬20M sovereign loan to Armenia for the benefit of the Yerevan Bus Company.
The new low-floor buses will accommodate passengers with limited movement, including the elderly and disabled.
https://arka.am/en/news/society/armenian_government_gives_permission_for_ratification_of_ebrd_loan_to_improve_public_transport_in_ye/
##the government approves new
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To His Majesty's Government in London, from His Highness' Government in Kuching
The British Military Administration in Borneo is due to be dissolved at some point later this year, most likely in July, and the return of civilian government to Borneo's British-linked territories requires some decisions to be made regarding certain questions.
Putting aside the question of His Highness' continued employment of British Civil Servants (an arrangement with which we see no problems and will continue to employ), as well as the repatriation of Japanese prisoners-of-war, Sarawak takes the greatest interest in the question of the North Borneo Chartered Company and the territories under it's jurisdiction.
It is clear to us that the NBCC is no longer fit to govern. Government by corporation, for the sole purpose of producing dividends, ought not be allowed to continue. The NBCC's assets are worthless, they can take no loans, and their shareholders have received nothing for many years now. Since 1942 the Company has been effectively defunct, with all assets under the control of the Japanese or destroyed in their invasion. The capital city of Sandakan has been left in ruins due to the war. The timber export trade has been reduced to almost nothing. The rubber plantations are burnt down. In short, North Borneo has suffered far greater than Sarawak - our capital Kuching was undamaged during the war, thank the Lord - and His Highness feels duty-bound to assist in the restoration of good government and prosperity to the territory.
His Highness therefore proposes a relatively simple solution. The Rajah of Sarawak, Anthony Brooke, will make an offer of Β£1.4 million for all assets of the NBCC including their Charter to govern North Borneo, and will turn this over as a free endowment to the Raj of Sarawak. In effect, this will make North Borneo part of Sarawak, while providing funds to your government to help redress the claims of the NBCC's shareholders which are even now being pressed in the courts of London. This is more than 60% of the compensation first offered during the War and given the more accurate knowledge we now have of the state of North Borneo's destruction we feel that this is a much fairer offer.
Additionally to the matter of North Borneo, there is now the matter of the island of Labuan. Until the dissolution of the Straits Settlements earlier this month and the creation of the Malayan Union and the Colony of Singapore, Labuan
... keep reading on reddit β‘Viscount Aoki Shuzo (3.3.1844 -16.2.1914) a diplomat and foreign Minister in Meiji period Japan was born to a Samurai clan as a son of a physician in Yamaguchi Prefecture. He studied western science and medicine at a school Meirinkan in Hagi.
After medical training in Nagasaki, he was sent by the clan to study in Germany in 1868. He entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1873. After serving as first secretary at the Ministry, he became minister to Germany in the next year. Subsequently, he held various offices including minister to Austria and Holland.
Aoki Shuzo in his letter to Munemitsu Mutsu (Foreign Minister) dated 5.12.1893 mentioned that in 1879, he had proposed that Hirobumi Itoh (Home Minister) and Count Kaoru Inoue (Foreign Affairs) should purchase North Borneo from the Austrian Baron Von Overbeck for the sum of one million yen silver in 1879 but Itoh and Inoue decline Aoki's proposal. Hence, North Borneo came under British Rule and the British North Borneo Chartered Company was established to administer the territory in 1881.
When the Chartered Company suffered heavy losses, Rajah Charles Brooke of Sarawak made a bid to take over the Company but his proposal to pay shareholders 1 % as dividend and hand over to the company one third of all the State revenue , which amounted to over $210,000 a year was not attractive to the shareholders of the Company and the bid was turned down in February 1894.
While the negotiations between the Company and Charles Brooke were in progress in 1893, Aoki visited London to investigate the feasibility of the purchase and enumerated the reasons for the purchase that North Borneo would absorb the growing population in Japan and the geographical position might contribute significantly to Japanese commercial and military purpose in the future.
Aoki mentioned that the British Government was unlikely to present any obstacles to the purchase of North Borneo from the Company because the sale would not be a great loss to them and Japan unlike other European countries was not in competition with Britain.
In 1893, the Company unofficially offered North Borneo to the Japanese Government for 500,000 pounds.
On the 7.11.1893, Aoki Shuzo who was in Berlin sent a cable to Munemitsu Mutsu:
"Are Imperial Government inclined to buy Territory of North Borneo Company for value within 500,000 pounds in order to make Japanese colony thereof. If so I will negotiate with British Government regarding cession of its sovereig
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This is your 12-minute Tuesday report in 3014 words.
##government wants to find alternatives to Georgia's problematic Upper Lars cargo route
It's the only land route Armenia currently has to its main trade partner Russia. It's closed "half of the year" because of bad weather, bad traffic, or bad politics between Georgia and Russia. Armenian exporters face the consequences.
Economy Ministry: we drafted a bill that offers to reimburse Armenian companies if they use the Poti-Caucasus Port-Poti ferry.
The proposal is necessary because our only land route to Russia is routinely closed, causing problems for Armenian cargo. Since ferry is more expensive than land, and can reduce Armenian product's competitiveness in foreign markets, we are willing to compensate.
Our trade is growing with EAEU member states, yet Upper Lars remains our only land connection to them.
Upper Lars can only handle 170 cargo and 200 passenger vehicles per day in two directions. The traffic exceeds this capacity by orders of magnitude during certain periods. Armenian vehicles cross it 10,000 times a year.
The approval of the bill will help Armenian cargo companies during the seasonal high-fee periods. This can greatly increase cargo exports and make Armenian products more competitive. //
The subsidy for one-way ferry transfer is Φ0.5M, or Φ1M for two-way.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1071267.html
##Pashinyan discussed the Persian Gulf-Black Sea railway project during Georgia trip
Pashinyan: I believe the launch of the Gulf-Sea international route can boost regional cooperation.
Bilateral cooperation in the field of transport is a priority for us. We view relations with Georgia not only in the sphere of bilateral but also in the sphere of regional cooperation. We can help each other.
We have two Gulf-Sea route projects: vehicle and railway.
Vehicle: we are developing the North-South highway network in Armenia. It connects the Georgian border to the Iran border. We're working with Georgian and Iranian colleagues to make the road more efficient. If we are also able to come to an agreement with Azerbaijan, this project could expand and become North-South and East-West.
The Sochi and Brussels meetings created the opportunity to possibly come to an agreement with Azerbaijan over restoring vehicle routes. As for railway connection, we already have an agreement with Aliyev over principles. It's abo
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